Garage Finds | Christian Craig’s 2015 Premix Jersey
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Garage Finds | Christian Craig’s 2015 Premix Jersey
Presented by Backyard Design
In 2015, Jordan Powell and I came up with an idea for a feature video that showcased current racing heroes ripping around the track on two-strokes. While some riders rode modern bikes – Weston Peick on a YZ250, Dean Wilson on a KTM 150 SX, Shane McElrath on a KTM 125 SX, and Ashley Fiolek on a Husqvarna TC 125 – others rode some very special machines. Our friend AJ Waggonner at Service Honda (now operating as Built500.com) loaned us a Kawasaki KX250 conversion in an aluminum frame that Jeremy McGrath liked so much that he bought, as well as an aluminum-framed Honda CR500R that we filmed Christian Craig and Josh Hill on.
One of the things I remember most about the day Jordan and I spent filming with Christian was his excitement about the big bike. He had never ridden a 500cc two-stroke before, and watching him even kickstart the thing to life was a treat. Before he took to the track, I told him that riding the bike low in the RPMs was how the stars of yesteryear used to do it, but he smirked and proceeded to ride it much like a 250…wide open! Christian rode the bike so hard that parts began to fall off of it during the shoot, so we decided to play it safe and cut the day short. Haha!
Before the shoot, I remember taking an intimidating phone call from then-Team-Manager Mike LaRocco. “What’s this I hear about you filming with Christian on a 500?” When I explained what we were doing, he insisted that we could not have GEICO Honda graphics on the bike because we would not have every single team sponsor product on it. I was bummed! The solution? We had a graphic kit made up to look identical, except the big yellow GEICO on the radiator shrouds was replaced with SERVICE in the same style font. Haha! To this day I am not sure many people noticed.
TWMX Premix is still available for rent on the iTunes store, and it will always be the favorite movie that I put together.
Backyard Design Graphic Kit of the Week
Josh Hansen’s Honda CR250R Red Bull Straight Rhythm Bike
Backyard Design was founded in 2010 by two privateer Supercross racers: Jared Hicks from Alabama and Philipp Klakow from Germany. What started off as a project to fund their Supercross racing efforts has now grown into a worldwide graphics manufacturer, with dual headquarters in the United States and Germany. Backyard Design is known for being one of the first custom graphics makers to have a completely interactive website, where customers can design their own kits with a few clicks on a computer mouse.
This year’s Red Bull Straight Rhythm featured all sorts of cool throwback bikes, and one of our favorites was Josh Hansen’s tribute to Ezra Lusk.
The guys at Backyard Design USA are up for any challenge when it comes to making your bike or helmet look cool, as they can help you create the graphic kit or helmet wrap of your dreams in only a few easy steps. We have been blown away by the ease in which BYD kits apply, and especially so on the Husqvarna, which can be a challenge when it comes to the split side panels. Backyard Designs’ patterns and material set them apart from the rest!
Want something a little more wild? Backyard Design USA’s web site has a wide selection of baseline designs to start with for all brands, which can be customized with your sponsor logos, etc.
